U of I Starts Demolition in Dorm Project

Crews will soon start demolishing a 55-year-old dormitory on the University of Illinois campus to make way for a new residence hall.

According to The News-Gazette in Champaign, Forbes Hall will start coming down in the next couple of weeks. The university website says it was built in 1958.

In Forbes Hall's place, the university plans to spend $80 million to build what's being called Residence Hall No. 3. That price tag also includes future demolition of another older dorm.

The new dorm is part of yearslong project to eventually build eight new residence halls in what's known as Ikenberry Commons.

The new residence hall that will be built on the Forbes Site will have 497 beds. It's expected to open in August 2016.